Mason jars make THE best flower vases. I especially love the new Ball Canning Heritage series of blue jars and green jars and matching blue and green lids and rings. But regardless of what color jars you want to use as vases, making these easy flower frogs for the lids will ensure your bouquet stays put in the jar.

It's no secret that I want a cow. Not only do I think cows are absolutely adorable, but I want access to fresh milk (it's illegal here in good ole' Virginia to buy or sell raw milk) so I can make all kinds of homemade butter, cheeses and ice cream. So when Brian Ogle (son of Mary Jane Butters of Mary Jane's Farm fame) asked if I would be interested in reviewing a copy of his mother's new book Milk Cow Kitchens: Cowgirl Romance, Backyard Cow Keeping, Farmstyle Meals and Cheese Recipes, he didn't have to ask twice!

One of the many wonderful benefits of fresh eggs is that they elevate any recipe from merely delicious to truly divine. That holds true especially with this classic Créme Brûleé recipe. Using only four ingredients, this is my go-to dessert for special occasions. Easy to make, it lets the freshness and taste of your fresh eggs shine. The combination of the sweet brittle sugar coating atop a silky smooth custard underneath is irresistible. Since today is Natural Créme Brûleé  Day, I thought it appropriate to share my recipe.

This week was all about harvesting our first cucumbers and squash from the garden, collecting lots of chickens and duck eggs, and anxiously awaiting the first eggs from the Bonbons and Littles (20 and 14 weeks, respectively). We've enjoyed a wonderful summer so far here in Virginia; cool-ish temperatures and lots of rain has resulted in the best gardening season in the 13 years we've been here. To top it off, the week ended with a phone call from my publisher and some really exciting news I will share with you all early next week .... so be sure and stay tuned for that! In the meantime, enjoy some of our bounty!

I've been growing a few select vegetables in my herb garden for years now - things like peas, tomatoes, hot peppers and eggplant - sort of tucked into a corner of the garden as an afterthought, but never really had a separate garden dedicated to the 'roving' veggies, i.e. melons, cucumbers and squash. They take up so much room that I didn't dare plant them in my herb garden. I tried growing some in our compost pile, but it doesn't get much sun and the deer or rabbits ate all the blossoms, so that was a bust.

Whether you live on a 1/4 acre or 100 acres, whether you raise a whole barnyard of animals or just a small backyard flock, whether your 'garden' is a 6-acre field or a single pot on your kitchen windowsill, you should feel a sense of pride in everything you grow, and raise or nurture.  I love putting together this post each Saturday evening, because collecting photos all week to share makes me stop and appreciate my surroundings and the beauty that is everywhere ... if you just take the time to look.

After a long day in the garden or working around the farm, a hot bath is often in order. These homemade, all natural fizzy bath bombs are sure to help your aches and cares float away as you inhale the intoxicating scent of sweet orange and vanilla. And best of all - they're chemical-free and super easy to make!

When Spalding Labs contacted me back in 2014 and asked me to try out their Fly Predator product, I have to admit I was intrigued. I had heard of Fly Predators, but never really done much research into them, instead battling the flies using lots of homemade soda bottle fly traps, herbal fly sprays and repellents including herbal wreaths and mason jars filled with mint and vanilla with varying degrees of success, but since each summer we battle flies in our horse stalls, duck house and around the chicken feed, I eagerly agreed to try the Fly Predators out.

Staying hydrated is so important in the summer, especially if you spend lots of time outdoors sweating, but plain water gets boring and store bought soft drinks and other beverages are full of sugar and other unhealthy ingredients and can be expensive.  Why not brew your own tea this summer using herbs and edible flowers? It couldn't be easier!

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Charles Dickens sure hit the proverbial nail on the head with those famous lines. This week brought some wonderfully good news to us here on the farm (details soon, I promise!), our gardens are producing some beautiful tomatoes and basil ... and then our week culminated in some major damage from a storm that seemed to appear out of nowhere late Friday.  We spent the last two days cleaning up tree debris from high winds, hail and driving rain. But all of our animals, house, coop and barn are just fine...and Mother Nature rewarded us with a beautiful post-storm sunset...was she perhaps saying she was sorry?

The latest video in my brand new series Herbs for Hens™focuses on the edible flower Bee Balm. I grow and use bee balm, also called monarda or bergamot, in my natural chicken keeping. 

Several weeks ago I was contacted by the Urban Coop Company and asked if I would like to 'test drive' their Round-Top Chicken Coop. Truthfully, I had been eyeing their adorable coops for awhile and was thrilled to say yes!

Flies are such a nuisance, not to mention the carriers of germs and diseases. But on a farm, you often can't (or won't) use chemical fly sprays around your animals. Fortunately, there are a whole host of herbs that help to repel flies naturally. Make this easy herbal wreath to hang in your coop, horse stall or even on the back door of your house to keep flies away this summer. 

Happy Fourth of July everyone!  Hope you all have a safe and happy holiday. We are enjoying cool, clear weather this weekend after a bit of a hot spell and just enjoying a quiet weekend at home. Our chicks are growing, the little ones will be laying eggs soon, and we're expecting ducklings in a week or so. Enjoy this peek at our week.

I love blogging. I really do. I also love reading other people's blogs. I have discovered so many wildly talented bloggers as a result and met so many nice people by chatting with them in the comment section of their blog. I get asked pretty frequently which are the blogs I read regularly, so I thought I would share my top ten favorite blogs with you. And it might surprise you, but they aren't all chicken blogs! (although I will be sharing my favorite chicken-centric blogs at a later date, so stay tuned for that).

First in my brand new video series Herbs for Hens™, I focus on the edible flower Echinacea. I grow and use echinacea in my chicken keeping, as well as for beautiful, hardy cut flowers in the house all summer. Touted for it's immune system-boosting benefits, echinacea is an ingredient in many commercial cold medications, and can benefit your flock similarly.